It is now generally recognized that exposure to solar radiation can have adverse health consequences, sometimes not appearing until several years following exposure. Of course, the immediately appearing sunburn from an overexposure is painful and can itself be a serious acute health problem.
Products are available to reduce the amount of solar UV radiation received by the skin during exposure to the sun's rays. Typical product formulations are lotions, sprays, creams, ointments, or gels containing chemical and/or physical barriers to ultraviolet transmission. These vary considerably in their abilities to protect the skin against the physical and biochemical effects of UV radiation.
Earlier sunscreen formulations were designed to protect against sunburn from a limited solar exposure period, while transmitting sufficient radiation to permit skin tanning. However, the current focus is on eliminating as much UV exposure as possible, it being recognized that skin tanning is an indication of tissue damage from overexposure to solar radiation. It is believed that any amount of unprotected exposure can lead to future health problems, such as skin carcinomas and other dermatological disorders. Sunscreens and UV filters are important components of skin care products generally to prevent the harmful rays of the sun from exacerbating or accelerating the aging process. These actives are typically present in an amount to provide a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) value of from 2 to about 50 or higher.
Many organic sunscreens are known in the art. Some examples include PABA, ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate, homomethyl salicylate, octyl salicylate, and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone), and the like. Not only are these ingredients costly, but many sunscreen products have undesirable aesthetic attributes which may limit their use.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide compositions for boosting the SPF of an organic sunscreen. It is a further object of the invention to provide compositions that impart protection against UV rays while providing desirable aesthetics on the skin.
The foregoing discussion is presented solely to provide a better understanding of nature of the problems confronting the art and should not be construed in any way as an admission as to prior art nor should the citation of any reference herein be construed as an admission that such reference constitutes “prior art” to the instant application.